Ml 



y r^'TRINE 



BX 4 



MILTON S. TE 




COPYRIGHT DEPOSm 



f rtm^r of Ollfnattatt inrtrto 

In the Form of Questions 
and Answers 

For the Use of Sunday- Schools, Epworth Leagues, 
Christian Endeavor Societies, Adult Bible 
Classes, and also for a Help to 
Private Study and Devotion 

BY 

Milton S. Terry, D. D. 

Professor of Christian Doctrine in Garrett Biblical Institute 




CINCINNATI: JENNINGS AND GRAHAM 
NEW YORK: EATON AND MAINS 



UBRARYof CCNGHESS 
TwoQouiss Received 

APH 18 1906 

^ Copyright. Entry 
CI/SS 'C^ XXc. No, 



' COF 



-opy B, 



COPYRIGHT, 1906, BY 
JENNINGS AND GRAHAM 



PREFACE. 



1. This Primer of Doctrine is not intended for 
young children, nor for primary classes in Sunday- 
schools. 

2. But it may prove very helpful in many young 
people's meetings where the main inquiry is, as it 
should be, after the essence of Christianity. 

3. It may also be useful as a simple and compre- 
hensive outline of Christian doctrine for any class 
of readers and students. 

4. Its aim is to point out the principal teachings 
of Jesus Christ so as to embody in cathechetical 
form the substance of the gospel. 

5. It does not therefore attempt to cover all the 
doctrines of the Holy Scriptures. 

6. The great fact is emphasized that Jesus Christ 
has fulfilled the law and the prophets, and has in- 
stituted a new and better covenant 

7. Care has been taken to omit nothing of fun- 
damental religious value in the Christian faith. 

8. Care has also been taken to incorporate a 
large number of the most precious texts of the Bible 
in order to facilitate and encourage the habit of fix- 
ing them in the memory. 

3 



4 



Preface. 



9. It is thus possible that these questions and 
answers may also prove to be a helpful handbook 
of private devotion and study. The import of most 
of the texts cited is so evident that they need no 
other commentary or exposition than the medita- 
tions, inquiries, and conversations which the present 
arrangement is designed to suggest. 

10. Whatever may be its imperfection as a state- 
ment of the essentials of the gospel of Jesus Christ, 
this booklet may perhaps contribute in some meas- 
ure to promote catechetical study, and prompt more 
competent hands to prepare a better manual. 



CONTENTS. 

PAGB. 

I. Introductory, 7 

II. Our Heavenly Father, - - - 13 

III. Our Lord Jesus Christ, - - - 18 

IV. Salvation in Christ, - - - 28 

V. The Mission and the Ministry of the Spirit, 44 

VI. The Kingdom and the Coming of Christ, 51 

VII. The Resurrection and the Judgment to 

Come, 73 



i believe in our father who is in heaven, whose name 
is hallowed, who loves us, and gives us our daily 
bread, and all good things. 

i believe in the coming and kingdom of our lord 
Jesus Christ, who gave his life for us, forgives us 

OUR debts as we forgive our DEBTORS, AND TEACHES US 

TO LOVE OUR God with all our heart, and our neighbor 

AS OURSELF. 

I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHO HELPS US IN OUR 
TRIALS, DELIVERS US FROM THE EVIL, LEADS US INTO ALL 
TRUTH, AND WORKS IN US TO DO THE WILL OF GOD ON EARTH 
AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, 



prter of Ollinattan iottrme^ 



Introductory. 

1. What is the Gospel? 

It is the good news of salvation and eternal life 
in Jesus Christ. 

2. What are the fundamental truths of the Gospel? 

The doctrines of God, our Heavenly Father, of 
Jesus Christ our Lord, of salvation and eternal life 
in Christ, of the work of the Holy Spirit, the king- 
dom and coming of Christ, the resurrection and final 
judgment of all men. 

3. Where do we learn the facts and teachings of 

Jesus Christ? 

In the various books of the New Testament, but 
more especially in the four Gospels of Matthew, 
Mark, Luke, and John. 

4. How are these Gospels often distinguished? 

The first three are called the Synoptic Gospels, 
because they are all conspicuously much alike in 
their contents, and present in a brief general out- 
line the main facts in the life and teachings of 
Jesus ; but the Gospel of John contains many other 

7 



8 



Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



things which Jesus said and did, and it has a style 
of thought and language peculiar to itself. 

5. How do the three Synoptic Gospels differ from 

each other? 

Mark is the shortest and seems to be the oldest 
of the three, and it has most in common with the 
other two. Matthew contains nearly all that is 
found in Mark, and also many other sayings of 
Jesus, and seems to have been designed more espe- 
cially for Jewish readers. Luke was written after 
many had taken in hand to draw up a narrative of 
the words and the works of Jesus, and it informs 
us of many things not recorded in the other Gospels. 

6. What are the contents, in the main, of all the 

Gospels? 

They are memoirs of the earliest traditions of 
what the Lord Jesus said and did. 

7. What is the oldest tradition of their authorship? 

That which is found in the writings of two 
ancient fathers of the Church: 

(i.) Papias about A. D. 130 wrote that 
"Matthew composed his history in the Hebrew dia- 
lect, and every one translated it as he was able." 
He also says that *'Mark was the interpreter of 
Peter and recorded whatever he wrote with great 
accuracy, but not in the order in which it was said 
and done by our Lord; for he neither heard nor fol- 
lowed the Lord, but was in company with Peter, 
who gave him such instruction as was necessary, 
but not to give a history of our Lord's discourses." 

(2.) Irenaeus about A. D. 180 wrote: "Matthew 



Introductory. 9 



produced his Gospel written among the Hebrews 
in their own dialect, whilst Peter and Paul pro- 
claimed the gospel and founded the Church at Rome. 
After the departure of these, Mark, the disciple and 
interpreter of Peter, also transmitted to us in writ- 
ing what had been preached by Peter. And Luke, 
the companion of Paul, committed to writing the 
gospel preached by Paul. Afterwards John, the dis- 
ciple of our lyord, the same that lay upon His bosom, 
also published the Gospel, while he was yet in 
Ephesus in Asia." 

8. How do the other books of the New Testament 

witness the gospel of Christ? 

They are along with the Gospels the earliest and 
most authoritative records of Christianity, and they 
show what was believed and preached by the first 
apostles and teachers of the Church. 

9. What significance has the word "Testament," as 

applied to the writings of the evangelists and 
apostles? 

It is used interchangeably with the word "cov- 
enant," as may be seen in 2 Cor. 3 : 6 and 14, and 
means also the acknowledged records of a covenant. 
A covenant is the sacred pledge and promise of 
mxanifold blessings to be given in fulfillment of cer- 
tain conditions. The Scriptures of the Old Testa- 
ment tell us how God entered into such covenant 
relations with men, and the New Testament is a 
like record of the covenant of grace and salvation 
through Jesus Christ, who is called "the Mediator 
of a new and better covenant." (Heb. 8 : 6; 9 : 15.) 



10 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



10. What use are we to make of the Scriptures of 

the Old Testament, and how should we esteem 
them? 

They are the religious writings of poets, 
prophets, psalmists, lawgivers, and wise men of 
Israel, who were possessed and moved by the Spirit 
of God; and they show us how God spoke in many 
portions and in many ways to the Jewish people of 
whom Christ came. Hence they are profitable for 
teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for in- 
struction in righteousness. (2 Tim. 3:16.) 

11. What New Testament saying specially Indicates 

the partial and progressive character of the 
Old Testament, and the consummation of Its 
revelations In Christ? 

The beginning of the Epistle to the Hebrews, 
which says: "God, having of old time spoken unto 
the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and 
in divers manners, hath at the end of these days 
spoken unto us in His Son, whom He appointed 
Heir of all things." 

12. Have the moral and religious teachings of the 

Old Testament as great a value for us as those 
of the New Testament? 

By no means; for Jesus Christ set aside many 
sayings of the old time as unsuitable to men under 
the gospel; He fulfilled the law and the prophets, 
instituted a new and better covenant, and brought 
to light a fuller and clearer revelation of God. 



Introductory. 11 



13* How may we distinguish those teachings which 
have permanent value from those which served 
a temporary purpose? 

By subjecting them to the comparison and test of 
the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

14. What are the most conspicuous qualities of the 
teaching of Jesus Christ? 

(i.) He spoke with authority unknown to the 
Jewish scribes, and His words carry irresistible con- 
viction to the reason, the conscience, and the heart 
of man. 

(2.) His teaching was so simple that it charmed 
the young and the old. The common people and the 
multitude heard Him gladly, and His sayings lose 
none of their power to this day. 

(3.) He emphasized the great essential ele- 
ments of religion, and magnified spiritual and heav- 
enly things above all ordinances of outward form. 

(4.) He gave even the moral elements in the old 
commandments a deeper significance than they had 
been thought to contain before. (Matt. 5:21-32.) 

(5.) He condensed the entire Old Testament 
revelation into one royal law of the love of God and 
the love of man. (Matt. 22: 37-40.) 

(6.) His gospel is a universal message of grace 
and truth, adapted to all men, and not directed to 
any one race or people only. 

'(7.) He has brought life, immortality, and the 
kingdom of heaven to light as they were never 



12 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



known before, so that the least in His kingdom is 
greater than the greatest prophet of the Old Testa- 
ment. (Matt. II : II.) 

(8.) The great practical aim of all His teach- 
ing and ministry is the moral renovation of the 
world. 

(9.) His Divine-human personality, as the great 
Revealer of our Father in heaven, imparts to all His 
teaching a character of life and light which is cor- 
respondingly transcendent. 

(10.) His teaching, accordingly, possesses the 
elements of permanence and finality which are found 
in the words of no other prophet or sage, and which 
show the adaptation of Christianity to be the one 
universal religion of mankind. 



Our Heavenly Father. 

1. What does Jesus teach us about God? 

He teaches us to call Him our Father who is in 
the heavens. 

2. Was not God known as the Heavenly Father before 

the coming of Christ? 

Not in the personal and endearing way in which 
Christ reveals Him to us in His gospel of love. But 
many intimations of this heavenly truth had been 
expressed before: 

(i.) The Greeks called Him Zeus, ''Father of 
gods and men," but they regarded Him as an off- 
spring of older gods, and susceptible of base 
passions. 

(2.) The old Teutonic and Scandinavian peo- 
ples called one of their deities "All-father," but his 
worship was associated with many barbarous and 
bloody rites. 

(3.) Jehovah called Israel His "first born son," 
and Ephraim His "dear son" and His "darling 
child" (Ex. 4:22; Hos. 11: i; Jer. 21:9, 20); but 
the relationship implied was national rather than 
personal. 

(4.) The same collective and national idea ap- 
pears when, in Isa. 63:16; 64:8, 9, Israel ad- 
dresses Jehovah as "our Father." 

13 



14 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



(5. The words "my Father" in Jer. 3:4, are 
the utterance of the nation conceived as the un- 
faithful bride of Jehovah. 

(6.) Some of the Psalms express tender relation 
to God, but their statements are general, and lack 
the suggestions of a personal intimacy with God as 
a loving Father, such as Jesus taught. (Cf. Psa. 
68:5; 103: 13.) 

(7.) The personal relationship expressed in 2 
Sam. i: 14 ("I will be to him a Father"), is, like 
Psa. 89 : 26, part of a Messianic promise pointing to 
the future. 

3 What may we learn from the Lord's Prayer about 
our Heavenly Father? 

(i.) We learn to hold the name "our Father" 
sacred in our hearts. 

(2.) We are impressed with the thought of His 
coming kingdom. 

(3.) We are lifted to the blessed ideal of heaven 
on earth. 

(4.) We are taught to think of God as a nourish- 
ing Father, giving us our daily bread, and all need- 
ful things. 

(5.) We are taught that we may be forgiven 
all our debts and trespasses as we forgive our debt- 
ors and those who trespass against us. 

(6.) We are assured that we may find help from 
above in our trials, and deliverance from the evil. 

4. What is said in IVIatt. 7: 9-11, concerning the tender 
affection of our Heavenly Father? 

"What man is there of you, who, if his son ask 
him for a loaf, will give him a stone; or if he shall 



Our Heavenly Father. IS 



ask for a fish, will give him a serpent? If ye, then, 
being evil, know how to give good gifts to your 
children, how much more shall your Father who is 
in heaven give good tilings to them that ask Him?" 

5. What other things did Jesus say about our Heav- 

enly Father's goodness? 

(i.) He loves His enemies, and "makes His sun 
to rise on the evil and the good, and sends His rain 
on the just and the unjust." (Matt. 5 : 45.) 

(2.) His tender care observes every sparrow 
that falls to the ground, and He numbers all the 
hairs of our head. (Matt. 10:29, 30.) 

(3.) He feeds the birds, arrays the lilies of the 
field in beauty, clothes the grass with its verdure; 
but He feels a much greater interest in the needs of 
His children. (Matt. 6:26-34.) 

6. What does Jesus teach in Mark 10: 18 about the 

goodness of God? 

He says that God is the only one absolutely good 
Being. In comparison with His perfect goodness 
the best among men are relatively bad. 

7. State other New Testament teaching about God. 

(i.) He is holy, righteous, and altogether per- 
fect, the glorious Lord of heaven and earth. 

(2.) He sees all that we do in secret, and knows 
the thoughts of our heart. 

(3.) God is a Spirit, in every place, in all, 
through all, over all, and in Him we live, and move, 
and have our being. 



16 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



(4.) ''God is love; and he that abide th in love 
abideth in God, and God abideth in him/' (i 
John 4: 16.) 

8. Wherein do we behold the greatest manifestation 

of God's love for man? 

In the fact that "God so loved the world that 
He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever 
believeth on Him should not perish, but have eter- 
nal life/' (John 3: 16.) 

9. How does 1 John 4: 9, 10, 14, speak of this love of 

the Father? 

'^Herein was the love of God manifested in us, 
that God hath sent His Only Begotten Son into the 
world that we might live through Him. Herein is 
love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, 
and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 
. . . And we have beheld and bear witness that 
the Father hath sent the Son to be the Savior of the 
world." 

10. What does Paul say on this subject of God's love? 

(i.) "God commendeth His own love toward us, 
in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for 
us." (Rom. 5:8.) 

(2.) ''God was in Christ reconciling the world 
unto Himself." (2 Cor. 5: 19.) 

(3.) "It is God that said, Light shall shine out 
of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the 
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the 
face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor. 4:6.) 



Our Heavenly Father. 17 



11. Does the gospel of Christ declare the righteous- 

ness and holiness of God as truly as His love? 

Most assuredly, in the teaching both of Christ 
and His apostles. 

(i.) Jesus addressed Him as "holy Father" and 
"righteous Father." 

(2.) He pronounced most severe judgment of 
condemnation on all unrighteousness. 

(3.) Paul declares that "the wrath of God is 
revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and 
unrighteousness of men.'' 

(4.) It is also written that willful sinning 
against the light and knowledge of God exposes 
one to fearful judgment. (Heb. 10:26, 27.) 

(5.) The fact that the Son of man camic "to 
give His life a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45), 
and that "God, sending His own Son in the likeness 
of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the 
flesh" (Rom. 8:3), is a most wonderful testimony 
for all the ages to come of the severity of God 
toward sin and sinners, as well as of His unspeak- 
able love and compassion. 

12. How does ail this manifestation of Christ reveal 

the Father? 

By showing forth the real nature of Divine wis- 
dom, love, and power in a human life. When we 
duly observe and appreciate all the heavenly qual- 
ities of goodness, love, righteousness, holiness, truth, 
and the abiding power of all these in the transcend- 
ent personality of Jesus Christ, we behold the Father 
also. (John 14: 6-10.) 
z 



Our Lord Jesus Christ, 

1. What did Jesus say about Himself? 

(i.) "All things have been delivered unto Me 
of My Father; and no one knoweth the Son save 
the Father ; neither doth any know the Father, save 
the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to 
reveal Him." (Matt. 11:27.) 

(2.) "Whosoever shall do the will of My Father 
who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and 
mother." (Matt. 12: 50.) 

(3.) "He whom God hath sent speaketh the 
words of God; for He giveth not the Spirit by 
measure." (John 3 : 34.) 

(4.) "I am come down from heaven, not to do 
Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me/* 
(John 6 138.) 

(5.) "I am the Living Bread which came down 
out of heaven; if any man eat of this Bread, he 
shall live forever." (John 6: 51.) 

(6.) "I am the Good Shepherd; the good shep- 
herd layeth down his life for the sheep/* (John 
10:11.) 

(7.) "Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are 
heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt 
11:28.) 

18 



Our Lord Jesus Christ. 19 



(8.) "I am the Resurrection and the Life; he 
that believeth on Me, though he die, yet shall he 
live; and whosoever liveth and believeth on Me 
shall never die." (John 11:25, ^6.) 

(9.) "Father, glorify Thou Me v^ith Thine own 
self, with the glory which I had with Thee before 
the world was/' (John 17: 5.) 

(10.) "Lo ! I am with you always, even unto the 
end of the world." (Matt. 28:20.) 

2v What witness did He receive at the time of His 
baptism? 

"He saw the heavens rent asunder, and the Spirit 
as a dove descending upon Him, and a voice came 
out of the heavens. Thou art My beloved Son; in 
Thee I am well pleased." (Mark i : 10, 11.) 

3- What occurred to Him immediately after the 
baptism? 

The Spirit urged Him away into the wilderness, 
and He was forty days subjected to severe tempta- 
tions of Satan, but He triumphantly resisted, and re- 
turned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee. (Mark 
1:12, 13; Luke 4: 14.) 

4. Whom did He call to be His immediate followers? 

"He appointed twelve, whom also He named 
apostles, that they might be with Him, and that He 
might send them forth to preach." (Mark 3:14; 
Luke 6: 13.) Their names were Simon Peter, An- 
drew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, 
Thomas, James of Alphseus, Simon the Zealot, Judas 
of James, and Judas Iscariot. 



20 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



5. What does Matthew 4: 23, say of Him and His 

works? 

''Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their 
synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the king- 
dom, and healing all manner of disease and all man- 
ner of sickness among the people/' 

6. What message did Jesus send to John the Baptist 

In proof that He was the IVIessiah who was to 
come? 

"Go and tell John the things ye hear and see; 
the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, 
the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the 
dead are raised up, and the poor have the good 
tidings preached to them. (Matt. 11:5; Cf. Isa. 
35:5. 6.) 

7. What did the people think and say of Him? 

(i.) They were astonished at His marvelous 
works. 

(2.) They were astonished at His teaching and 
His authority. 

(3.) The multitude heard Him gladly. (Mark 
12:37.) 

(4.) Nicodemus thought Him a teacher come 
from God. (John 3:2.) 

(5.) The officers sent to arrest Him said, "Never 
man so spake.'' (John 7 : 46.) 

(6.) Many worshiped Him as the Son of God, 
and as "the King that cometh in the name of the 
Lord,'' and He Himself said, amid the rejoicing 
on His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, that if the 
disciples should hold their peace, the stones would 
cry out. (Luke 19: 40.) 



Our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 



8. Name some of the recorded facts of His life on 

earth. 

(i.) He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and 
born of the Virgin Mary. 

(2.) The Child grew and waxed strong, filled 
with wisdom; and the grace of God was with Him. 
• . . And Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, 
and in favor with God and men." (Luke 2 : 40, 52.) 

(3.) When twelve years old he went with His 
parents to Jerusalem, and amazed the Jewish teach- 
ers and all who heard Him with the understanding 
apparent in His questions and answers. (Luke 
2:41-51.) 

(4.) When He was about thirty years old He 
began His public ministry, which extended over 
only about three years and a half. 

(5.) At last the chief priests, scribes, and elders 
of the Jewish people, with the authority of Pilate, 
the Roman governor, secured His crucifixion, death, 
and burial. 

(6.) The third day He rose from the dead, and 
showed Himself alive by many convincing proofs, 
appearing unto the apostles and others for a period 
of forty days, after which He was parted from them 
and ascended into heaven. 

9. What peculiarities distinguish the miracles of 

Jesus Christ? 

His mighty works were commanding evidences 
of His Divine mission and ministry, but in no in- 
stance were they a showy display of His own 
power, nor were they wrought for their own sake; 
but they were monumental acts of love for man, in 



22 



Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



striking harmony with His character as the Savior 
of the world. 

10. How do the miracles of Jesus furnish us perma- 
nent lessons of His abiding presence and super- 
natural power? 

They are types and symbols of those "-greater 
works" of the Spirit, which Jesus assured His dis- 
ciples they should do after His return to the Father; 
for— 

(i.) His beginning of miracles at Cana is a sug- 
gestive symbol of the transforming and transfig- 
uring work which the Son of man is continuously 
doing for mankind. He is now making all things 
new (Rev. 21 : 5), changing the hearts of men from 
enmity to the love of God and of their brethren, 
and exalting them into new creatures, "meet to be 
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light," 
and to drink the heavenly wine of salvation "new in 
the kingdom of God." (Mark 14:25.) 

(2.) All His works of healing are symbolic of 
His ability as the Great Physician to heal the sin- 
sick souls of men. 

(3.) His cleansing of the lepers assures us of 
His abiding power on earth to cleanse the human 
heart from all unrighteousness. 

(4.) His casting out demons is a symbol of his 
superior wisdom and might to deliver us from all 
the powers of evil, and to strengthen us against all 
temptations. 

(5.) His giving sight to the blind is an assur- 
ance of His power to open the eyes of our hearts to 
a knowledge of heavenly things. 



Our Lord Jesus Christ, 23 



(6.) His healing of the deaf and dumb shows 
His perpetual power to enlarge our spiritual capa- 
bilities to a keen sense of the grace of God. 

(7.) His walking on the sea and His stilling the 
tempest should assure us that He is never far away, 
but ever present to rescue us from perils, and to 
make the winds and the waves our servants. 

(8.) His miraculous draughts of fishes and His 
telling of the money in the mouth of the fish teach 
the same lesson of His making whatsoever passeth 
through the paths of the sea subserve the interests 
of man. 

(9.) Even His cursing the fruitless fig-tree is a 
significant warning against all false pretenses and 
hypocrisy. 

(10.) His raising the dead and His own resur- 
rection from the dead assure us that He is indeed 
the Resurrection and the Life, and will surely de- 
liver from the power of death all those who have 
life in Him. 

11. What did the apostles and prophets of the New 
Testament think and teach about Jesus Christ? 

(i.) Peter in his preaching proclaimed Him as 
"Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God by 
mighty works and wonders and signs which God 
did by Him, but crucified and slain by lawless men; 
Him God raised up and exalted at His right hand, 
and made both Lord and Christ." (Acts 2:22-34.) 
He also called Him "the holy and righteous one," 
and "the Prince of Hfe." (Acts 3:14, 15.) He 
declared that "He is Lord of all," and that "God 
anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power : 



24 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



who went about doing good, and healing all who 
were oppressed with the devil; for God was with 
Him. . . . God raised Him up the third day, 
and gave Him to be manifest, not to all the people, 
but unto witnesses that were chosen before of God, 
even to us, who ate and drank with Him after He 
rose from the dead. And He charged us to preach 
unto the people and to testify that this is He who 
is ordained of God to be the Judge of the living and 
the dead. (Acts 10:36-42.) 

(2.) James calls Him "our Lord Jesus Christ, 
the Lord of glory." (James 2: i.) 

(3.) Jude calls Him "our only Master and Lord 
Jesus Christ." (Jude 4.) 

(4.) In PauFs writings we have a variety of tes- 
timony : 

1 In Romans i : 3-5, he calls Him "the Son of 
God, who was born of the seed of David according 
to the flesh, declared to be the Son of God with 
power, according to the spirit of hoHness, by the 
resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our 
Lord, through whom we received grace and apostle- 
ship, unto obedience of faith among all the nations 
for His name's sake." 

2 In the Corinthian Epistles he is called "the 
power of God and the wisdom of God;" the last 
Adam, a Hfe-giving Spirit; "the Lord the Spirit; 
the image of God." (i Cor. 1:24; 15:45; 2 Cor. 
3:18; 4:4.) 

3 In Eph. I : 19-23, he speaks of "that working 
of the strength of His might which God wrought in 
Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and 
made Him to sit at His right hand in the heavenly 



Our Lord Jesus Christ. 25 



places, far above all rule, and authority, and power, 
and dominion, and every name that is named, not 
only in this world, but also in that which is to come ; 
and He put all things in subjection under His feet, 
and gave Him to be head over all things to the 
Church, which is His body, the fullness of Him 
that filleth all in all/' 

4 In Philippians 2 :5-ii, he says: "Have this 
mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus: who, 
existing in the form of God, counted not the being 
on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but 
emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, 
being made in the likeness of men and being found 
in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming 
obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the 
cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted Him, 
and gave unto Him the name which is above every 
name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should 
bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and 
things under the earth, and that every tongue should 
confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the 
Father/' 

^ In Col. I : 15-18, he says that the Son of the 
Father's love "is the image of the invisible God, 
the firstborn of all creation; for in Him were all 
things created in the heavens and upon the earth, 
things visible and things invisible, whether thrones 
or dominions or principalities or powers; all things 
have been created through Him and unto Him; and 
He is before all things, and in Him all things con- 
sist." In 2:9, he adds : "In Him dwelleth the 
fullness of the Godhead bodily." 

(5.) In the Gospel of John we read: "In the be- 



26 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



ginning was the Word, and the Word was with 
God, and the W^ord was God. All things were made 
through Him. ... In Him was life and the life 
was the light of men. . . . And the Word be- 
came flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His 
glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, 
full of grace and truth/' 

(6.) In the Epistle to the Hebrews we read: 
"'God hath spoken unto us in His Son, whom He ap- 
pointed Heir of all things, through whom also He 
made the ages, who, being the effulgence of His 
glory, and the very image of His substance, and 
upholding all things by the word of His power, 
when He had made a purification of sins, sat down 
on the right hand of the Majesty on high, having 
become by so much better than the angels as He 
hath inherited a more excellent name than they." 
Also in 4: 15, it is said that He ''hath been in all 
points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." 
And in 13:8, "J^sus Christ is the same yesterday 
and to-day, yea, and forever." 

(7.) In the Revelation of John, Jesus Christ is 
called "the faithful witness, the firstborn of the 
dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth; the 
first and the last, and the Living One, the begin- 
ning of the creation of God." (i : 5, 17, 18; 3: 14.) 
He is "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" and also "the 
Lamb that hath been slain to receive the power, and 
riches, and wisdom, and might, and honor, and glory, 
and blessing. (5:4, 12.) He bears also the names 
of "the Word of God" and "King of kings and 
Lord of lords." (19: 13, 16.) He is, along with the 
Father Almighty, the sanctuary and the light of the 
New Jerusalem. (21:22, 23.) 



Our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 



12. What then should we think of Jesus Christ? 

We should behold in Him the wisdom, love, and 
power of God revealed in a fullness never before 
or elsewhere seen, and think of Him as the incar- 
nation of God Himself, the anointed Son of the 
everlasting Father. We should, accordingly, wor- 
ship Him as our Lord and Savior, even as we wor- 
ship the Father. 



Salvation in Christ. 

1. What does Matthew 1:21, say about the name 

JESUS? 

His name was called Jesus, "for it is He that 
shall save His people from their sins." 

2. What does the Apostle Peter say, in Acts 4: 12, 

about the "name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth?" 

"In none other is there salvation; for neither 
is there any other name under heaven, that is given 
among men, wherein we must be saved." 

3. What does Jesus say, in Luke 19: 10, about the 

great purpose of His coming into the world? 

"The Son of man came to seek and to save that 
which was lost." 

4. How do the three parables of Luke 15 illustrate 

and enhance this great purpose of Jesus? 

By way of climax they intensify the thought of 
"joy in the presence of the angels of God over one 
sinner that repenteth." One sheep out of a hundred 
is comparatively a little loss; one drachma out of 
ten is proportionately greater; but a lost child, and 
one out of two, is incalculably a greater loss, and 
the joy of recovery is correspondingly blessed. 

28 



Salvation in Christ. 29 



5. What is written in 1 John 2: 1, 2, and 4: 14? 

"If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the 
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He is the 
propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but 
also for the whole world. . . . And we have 
beheld and bear witness that the Father hath sent 
the Son to be the Savior of the world." 

6. What sayings of Jesus show His estimate of the 

value of the human soul? 

(i.) His saying that men are of much more 
value than the grass, the lilies, and the birds, im- 
plying that the human race is the highest and noblest 
part of the creation of God. (Matt. 6:26-30.) 

(2.) His teaching that one human life is of 
greater value than the whole world, and His ques- 
tion, "What shall a man give in exchange for his 
soul?" (Matt. 16:26.) 

(3.) His saying that "the Son of man came not 
to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give 
his life a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45.) 

(4.) His comparing Himself to the good shep- 
herd, who giveth his life for the sheep. (John 
10:15.) 

(5.) His saying at the last supper with His dis- 
ciples, when He gave them the cup, "This is My 
blood of the covenant which is poured out for 
many." (Mark 14:24.) 

(6.) All those sayings which speak of men as 
sons of the Heavenly Father, who so loves them as 
to watch over them continually, cares for them, and 
counts it a pleasure "to give them the kingdom." 

(7.) The intercessory prayer for the disciples 



30 Pnmer of Christian Doctrine. 



in John 17, and especially the statement that He 
is ''glorified in them." 

7. What do other Scriptures teach concerning man? 

(i.) Man was created in the image of God 
(Gen. 1 : 27), and he exists in the image and glory 
of God. (i Cor. 11:7.) 

(2.) Mankind were made male and female, 
monogamy is the Divine order, and hence the mar- 
riage relation is sacred and inviolable. (Gen. i : 27; 
Mark 10:2-11.) 

(3.) God has given man dominion over all the 
other creatures of the earth. (Gen. 1:28; Psa. 

8:5-8.) 

(4.) God ordains the times and the geographical 
boundaries of the nations of men. (Acts 17:26; 
Deut. 32:8.) 

(5.) Man in his sinfulness and depravity is still 
the object of the Heavenly Father's love, so that 
God gave His Son to open unto him the way of 
eternal life. (John 3 : 16; Rom. 5:8.) 

8- Why is it that man needs a Heavenly Savior? 

Because of his sinfulness, his ignorance of God, 
and his inabihty to deliver himself from the do- 
minion of sin. 

9. What Is the teaching of Jesus concerning human 
sinfulness? 

(i.) Jesus recognized the deplorable condition 
of sinful man, and spoke of the heart of man as the 
seat and source of "evil thoughts, murders, adul- 
teries, fornications, thefts, false witness and rail- 
ings, which defile the man." (Matt. 15: 19.) 

(2.) He also recognized diflferent degrees of 



Salvation in Christ. 



31 



guilt, in proportion to the moral light one has. He 
upbraided the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and 
Capernaum, wherein most of His mighty works were 
done, saying that "it shall be more tolerable for 
Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for 
you," (Matt. 11:22.) 

(3.) His terrible denunciation of the "scribes, 
Pharisees, and hypocrites'' in Matt. 23 : 13-38, call- 
ing them "offspring of vipers/' shows His intense 
hostility to all manner of sin. 

(4.) Still more impressive is what He said of 
the "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which has 
never forgiveness, but involves the guilt of eter- 
nal sin." (Mark 3:29.) 

(5.) All this is intensified by what He said about 
the destroying of soul and body in hell (Matt. 
10:28), and the going away into eternal punish- 
ment. (Matt. 25:46.) 

10. Cite other New Testament witness to human sin- 

fulness. 

(i.) Paul declares that all have sinned, and fall 
short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3: 23.) 

(2.) In I John 1:8, 10, it is written: "If we 
say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and 
the truth is not in us. . . . If we say that we 
have not sinned, we make Jesus a liar and His word 
is not in us." 

11. What, then, is the salvation which is in Jesus 

Christ? 

It is a Divine deliverance from the guilt and the 
domination of sin, and a conscious blessed fellow- 
ship with God. 



32 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



12. How does Paul speak, in 2 Cor. 5: 18, 19, of this 

great salvation? 

He calls it "the ministry of reconciliation/' in 
which man is to co-operate with God, and to be as- 
sured that "God is in Christ reconciling the world 
unto Himself." 

13. Why should this great salvation be also called a 

reconciliation? 

Because it effects a blessed harmony between 
man and God, and brings the once alienated sinner 
into loving fellowship and communion with his 
Heavenly Father. 

14. How does Paul speak of the co-operation of the 

Divine and the human in this work of salva- 
tion? 

He says to the Philippians: "Work out your 
own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God 
who worketh in you both to will and to work for His 
good pleasure." (Phil. 2: 13.) 

15. What are the several and successive steps in the 

way of salvation? 

(i.) Conviction of personal sinfulness by the 
Spirit of God. 

(2.) Repentance toward God and faith m our 
Lord Jesus Christ. 

(3.) The fervent prayer of penitent confession. 

(4.) The gracious gift of remission of sins. 

(5.) Regeneration by the Holy Spirit. 

(6.) Justification and peace with God. 

[(7.) The assurance of faith and hope. 



Salvation in Christ. 



33 



(8.) Sanctification in the Holy Spirit and in the 
truths of God. 

(9.) Growth in all Christian graces. 

(10.) Love which is the bond of perfectness. 
(Col. 3:14-) 

16. What is conviction of sin? 

The sense of guilt awakened in the soul by a 
vivid perception of the deadly nature of sin. 

17. How does Paul describe the operation of his own 

personal conviction of sin? 

am carnal, sold under sin. . . . For the 
good which I would I do not; but the evil which I 
would not, that I practice. ... I delight in the 
law of God after the inward man; but I see a dif- 
ferent law in my members, warring against the law 
of m.y mind, and bringing me into captivity under 
the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched 
man that I am ! who shall deliver me out of the body 
of this death?" (Rom. 7: 14-24.) 

18. How may we define repentance? 

Repentance involves the deep sense of guilt which 
follov/s conviction of sin, but it includes in addition 
the strong desire and purpose to turn away from all 
ungodliness and to become so changed in heart 
and life as to please God. And so it is written, 
"Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation." 
(2. Cor. 7: 10.) 

19. What was the first great call in the message of 

Jesus? 

"Repent ye and believe in the gospel.'' (Mark 
1:15.) 
3 



34 



Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



20. How did Peter, on the Day of Pentecost, speak of 

repentance and remission of sins? 

When the people cried, "What shall we do?'* the 
apostle answered, "Repent ye, and be baptized every- 
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the re- 
mission of your sins; and ye shall receive the gift 
of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2: 38.) 

21. What did Jesus teach concerning the conditions 

of forgiveness? 

"If ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heav- 
enly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive 
not men their trespasses, neither will your Father 
forgive your trespasses." (Matt. 6: 14, 15.) 

22. What does John teach concerning confession and 

remission of sins? 

"If we confess our sins, God is faithful and right- 
eous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from 
all unrighteousness." (i John 1:9.) 

23. What does Paul teach concerning confession and 

faith? 

"If thou confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, 
and believe in thy heart that God raised Him from 
the dead, thou shalt be saved: for with the heart 
man believeth unto righteousness, and with the 
mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Rom. 
10: 9, 10.) 

24. How may we define such faith as this? 

Such faith is a personal trust in God and in 
Christ for the forgiveness of sins, for the gifts of 
the Spirit, and for eternal life. 



Salvation in Christ. 



35 



25. What famous saying of Jesus to Nicodemus 

teaches the necessity of a new birth through 
the Holy Spirit? 

"Except one be born from above [or anew, of 
the Spirit], he can not see the kingdom of God." 
(John 3: 3-8.) 

26. How does Paul speak of this great spiritual 

change? 

As a new creation in the Lord: "If any man is 
in Christ, he is a new creature [or creation] : the 
old things are passed away; behold, they are be- 
come new.'' (2 Cor. 5 : 17; cf. Eph. 2: 10.) 

27. How is this new life in the Spirit spoken of in the 

writings of John? 

It is called "eternal life," and is conceived as an 
enduring or imperishable kind of life, and a present 
possession of the believer as well as a future blessed 
inheritance : 

(i.) "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal 
life." (John 3:36.) 

(2.) "He that heareth My Word, and believeth 
Him that sent Me, hath eternal life, and cometh not 
into judgment, but hath passed out of death into 
life." (John 5: 24.) 

(3.) "He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My 
blood hath eternal life." (John 6: 54.) 

(4.) "This is life eternal, that they should know 
Thee the only true God, and Him whom Thou didst 
send, even Jesus Christ." (John 17: 3.) 

(5.) "He that hath the Son hath the life." (i 
John 5: 12; cf. Rom. 8:2.) 



36 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



28. What does Paul teach about justification by 

faith? 

"Being justified by faith, we have peace with 
God through our Lord Jesus Christ; through whom 
also we have had our access by faith into this grace 
wherein we stand; and we rejoice in hope of the 
glory of God." (Rom. 5: i, 21.) 

29. What blessed relationship is attained and real- 

ized in this great spiritual change? 

Its subjects are called "sons of God," "sons of 
your Father who is in heaven," "sons of God 
through faith in Jesus Christ," "sons of the king- 
dom," "sons of light," and "beloved children." 

30. What personal assurance Is given us of this 

blessed relationship? 

"The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our 
spirit, that we are children of God." (Rom. 8: 16.) 
This is an immediate impression and conviction 
wrought in the soul of each child of God by the 
Holy Spirit. 

31. What more on this subject does Paul write in the 

same connection? 

"As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these 
are sons of God. For ye received not the spirit of 
bondage again to fear; but ye received the spirit of 
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Rom. 
8: 14, 15.) 

32. What did Jesus say concerning the sanctification 

of His disciples? 

He prayed the Father to "sanctify them in the 
truth," and then He added : "For their sakes I sane- 



Salvation in Christ. 



37 



tify Myself, that they themselves may be sanctified 
in truth." (John 17: 19.) 

33. What does Paul say about sanctification? 

"God chose you from the beginning unto salva- 
tion in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the 
truth : vi^hereunto He called you through our gos- 
pel to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus 
Christ." (2 Thess. 2:13.) "The God of peace 
Himself sanctify you v^holly; and may your spirit 
and soul and body be preserved entire, without 
blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (i 
Thess. 5:23.) 

34. What Christian graces are produced by the work- 

ing of the Spirit of God in our hearts? 

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long- 
suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meek- 
ness, self-control." (Gal. 5:22.) 

35. What is the greatest of all spiritual gifts and 

graces? 

The greatest of all is love; for no gifts of tongues, 
or prophecy, or knowledge, or faith, and no works 
which we can do amount to anything apart from 
love. Jesus taught that all the commandments of 
God and all the messages of the prophets hang 
upon the two commandments of love to God and 
to man (Matt. 22:37-40); and, Paul, also writes: 
"Now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the 
greatest of these is love." (i Cor. 13: 13.) 

36. How may we define the attainment of perfect 

Christian love? 

It is a profound conviction and assurance of our 
Heavenly Father's great love for us wrought in the 



38 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 

soul by the immediate operation of the Holy Spirit, 
and accompanied with a hallowing experience of in- 
ward purity and a continuous consecration of our- 
selves wholly to the service of God. 

37. What does James write about the discipline of 
trial? 

"Count it all joy when ye fall into manifold 
trials, knowing that the proving of your faith work- 
eth patience. And let patience have perfect work, 
that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in noth- 
ing." (James 1:2-4.) 

28. What are we taught in Heb. 12: 3-13, concerning 
the moral value of affliction? 

Whom our Heavenly Father loves He chastens, 
so that personal trials may prove tokens of Divine 
affection, God thus caring for us and aiming to make 
us partakers of His holiness. 

39. What is Paul's language on this subject in 2 

Cor. 4: 17? 

"Our light afHiction, which is for the moment, 
worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eter- 
nal weight of glory; while we look not at the things 
which are seen, but at the things which are not seen : 
for the things which are seen are temporal; but the 
things which are not seen are eternal.'' 

40. What are the established Means of Grace? 

There are at least five which have always been 
recognized by the followers of Christ, and which are 
helpful to the cultivation of the Christian life: 

(i.) The Church, or household of God, which 



Salvation in Christ. 



39 



"is built upon the foundation of the apostles and 
prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the chief cor- 
ner-stone; in whom each several building, fitly 
framed together, groweth into a holy temple in the 
Lord; in whom ye also are builded together for a 
habitation of God in the Spirit." (Eph. 2: 20-22.) 

(2.) The sacraments of baptism and the Lord's 
Supper, which are signs and seals of the new cov- 
enant of which Jesus is Mediator. 

(3.) The public and private worship of God, by 
means of which we cultivate personal piety and 
openly acknowledge and glorify our Heavenly Fa- 
ther. 

(4.) The ministry of the gospel which is to be 
preached to all peoples as the good news of salva- 
tion in Jesus Christ. 

(5.) Diligent activity in all kinds of Christian 
work, and doing unto others whatsoever we would 
that they should do unto us. 

41. What are we to understand by prayer unto God? 

It is the opening of the heart before our Heav- 
enly Father in earnest confession of personal wants 
and in humble entreaty for Divine favor. It may 
combine thanksgiving for manifold mercies, hallow- 
ing the name and the attributes of God, acknowledg- 
ment of obligations, and supplication for all manner 
of temporal and spiritual blessings. 

42. What is our Lord's nfiost memorable saying about 

secret prayer? 

"When thou prayest, enter into thine inner cham- 
ber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father 



40 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret 
shall recompense thee." (Matt 6:6.) 

43. What is written concerning the priesthood and 
intercession of Christ? 

(i.) Paul says that He "is at the right hand of 
God, and maketh intercession for us." He also de- 
clares that "the Spirit Himself also maketh inter- 
cession for us with groanings that can not be ut- 
tered," and He "maketh intercession for the saints 
according to the will of God/' (Rom. 8 : 26, 27, 34.) 

(2.) It is also written that we have "a great 
High Priest, who hath passed through the heavens, 
Jesus, the Son of God; not a high priest that can 
not be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, 
but one that hath been tempted in all points like as 
we are, yet without sin. Such a high priest became 
us, holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners, 
and made higher than the heavens. . . . For 
Christ entered not into a holy place made with 
hands, but into heaven itself, now to appear before 
the face of God for us. He abideth forever, and 
hath His priesthood unchangeable. Wherefore also 
He is able to save to the uttermost them that draw 
near unto God through Him, seeing He ever liveth 
to make intercession for them. . . . Christ hav- 
ing come a high priest of the good things to come, 
through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, 
not made with hands, nor yet through the blood of 
goats and calves, but through His own blood, entered 
in once for all into the holy place, having obtained 
eternal redemption." (Heb. 4: 14, 15; 7: 24, 25, 26; 
9: II, 12, 24.) 



Salvation in Christ. 



41 



44. What specially do these Scriptures signify for us? 

By means of figurative terms and symbolical al- 
lusions to the ritual of a consecrated priesthood, 
they show that Christ's great work of mediation is 
an affecting revelation of our Heavenly Father's 
love toward us. What Christ feels and does for us 
is true of the Father also. And so in Christ we 
behold the unfailing love Divine, which effects 
through its own eternal power and wisdom the re- 
demption of mankind. 

45. Do the Scriptures teach that all men will be 

finally saved? 

They do not. When Jesus was asked the ques- 
tion, "Are they few that are saved?" he replied, 
"Strive to enter in by the narrow door: for many, 
I say unto you, shall seek to enter in, and shall not 
be able." (Luke xiii, 24.) Many seek entrance by 
a false door, a wide gate, and a broad way, which 
leads rather to destruction. (Cf. Matt. 7: 13.) 

46. Cite other Scriptures bearing on this question. 

(i.) In I Tim. 2:4, it is said that God, our 
Savior, is willing and desirous that all men should 
be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth ; and 
in chapter 4: 10, we are told that the living God "is 
the Savior of all men, specially of them that be- 
lieve." 

(2.) The same truth is expressed in 2 Pet. 3:9, 
where we are told that the Lord is longsuffering, 
and does not wish that any should perish, but that all 
should come to repentance. 

(3.) Jesus also said, with great emphasis: "Ex- 



42 



Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



cept ye be converted, and become as little children, 
ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of 
heaven." (Matt. 18:3.) 

(4.) To the same effect speak all those Scrip- 
tures which affirm that the salvation of God in 
Christ can be realized only on the conditions of 
repentance, faith in the Lord Jesus, and obedience 
to the truth. 

47. Who, then, must finally fail of the salvation of 

Christ? 

All those who willfully persist in their sins and 
reject the great provisions and offer of salvation. 

48. What are we to think of the Individuals, peoples, 

and nations which have never heard of the 
Gospel of Christ? 

(i.) No man can be justly held to blame for 
what he could not help. 

(2.) God has not left Himself without witness 
of His goodness among any of the nations. (Cf. 
Acts 14: 16, 17.) 

(3.) His everlasting power and Divinity are 
manifested in the works of His creation, and His 
wrath against all ungodliness of men is revealed 
from heaven sufficiently to leave all men without ex- 
cuse for their persistent sinning. (Cf. Rom. 
1 : 18-20.) 

(4.) The human heart the wide world over 
shows the operation of God's law therein, and the 
conscience and the moral sense accuse or excuse 
every man according to the light he has and the 
respect he shows it. (Cf. Rom. 2: 14, 15.) 



Salvation in Christ. 



43 



(5.) The conditions of salvation are not a mere 
matter of knowledge or comparative enlightenment, 
but rather of faith and obedience to that measure of 
the true light that lighteth every man. 

(6.) "God is no respecter o'f persons, but in 
every nation he that feareth Him and worketh right- 
eousness, is acceptable to Him." (Acts 10:35.) 



Btttinn Jfiftlf. 



The Mission and the Ministry of the 
Spirit. 

1. What special promise to His disciples appears 

among the last sayings of Jesus? 

''Behold, I send forth the promise of My Father 
upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem 
until ye be clothed with power from on high." 
(Luke 24:49.) 

2. How is this recorded in Acts 1:4, 5? 

"Being assembled together with them, He 
charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to 
wait for the promise of the Father. ... Ye 
shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days 
hence." 

3. What had Jesus previously said to them about His 

going away and sending them the Spirit? 

"I tell you the truth : it is expedient for you that 
I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will 
not come unto you ; but if I go I will send Him unto 
you." (John 16:7, 8.) 

4. What is meant by the word Comforter? 

It means not only one who gives comfort, con- 
solation, and peace, but also a helper, an advocate, 
an intercessor. 

44 



Mission and Ministry of the Spirit. 45 

5. How does Jesus further describe the Comforter? 

He calls Him "the Spirit of Truth, that proceed- 
eth from the Father," "the Holy Spirit, whom the 
Father will send in My name, and whom I will send 
unto you from the Father." 

6. What are the distinctive operations of the Holy 

Spirit? 

(i.) To convict the hearts of men with a deep 
sense of the deadly nature of sin, the universal and 
eternal worth of righteousness, and the certainty of 
judgment to come upon every soul of man according 
to his deeds. 

(2.) To effect the regeneration of all who are 
born from above. 

(3.) To effect the sanctification of believers in 
Christ. 

(4.) To bear witness with our spirit that we are 
children of God. 

(5.) To make known unto us the things of God, 
and to guide us into all the truth. 

(6.) To clothe the human soul with power from 
on high, and quicken all our spiritual gifts. 

(7.) To help our infirmities, make intercession 
for the saints, and abide with us continuously. 

7. Why was it expedient for Jesus to depart from 

the sight of men and go to the Father? 

Because the spiritual and eternal things of God 
can not be seen by mortal eyes, and the Spirit of 
God could not be properly apprehended as a univer- 
sal presence and power whilst Christ remained in 
the flesh, confined to a particular country and place. 



46 Primer of Christian Doctrine, 



8. What does Paul say about faith and sight, and 

things temporal and things eternal? 

"We walk by faith, not by sight. We look not 
at the things which are seen, but at the things which 
are not seen ; for the things which are seen are tem- 
poral; but the things which are not seen are eter- 
nal/' (2 Cor. 4: i8; 5:7.) 

9. How does Jesus speak of Himself and of the Com- 

forter as unseen, but known? 

He was Himself in His bodily presence a Com- 
forter, Advocate, and Helper, but He declared that 
the Father "shall give you another Comforter, that 
He may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of 
truth, whom the world can not receive; for it be- 
holdeth Him not, neither knoweth Him. Ye know 
Him, for He abideth with you, and shall be in 
you." (John 14: 17.) 

10. When and how was the promised outpouring of 

the Spirit first signally received? 

On the Day of Pentecost, when the apostles and 
many others "were all together in one place, and 
suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the 
rushing of a mighty wind, and they were all filled 
with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other 
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 
2:1-4.) 

11. How did Peter explain this new and wonderful 

event? 

He declared it to be the fulfillment of Joel's 
prophecy that in the last days God would pour out 
His Spirit upon all flesh, and men and women should 



Mission and Ministry of the Spirit. 47 



prophesy. He also declared that the risen Jesus, 
''being by the right hand of God exalted, and having 
received of the Father the promise of the Holy 
Spirit, hath poured forth this, v^hich ye see and 
hear." (Acts 2: 33.) 

12. Why was this outpouring of the Spirit called "the 

promise of the Father?" 

Because it was the fulfillment of many a prom- 
ise given by God through the ancient prophets (as 
Joel 2:28, 29; Isa. 32:15; 44:3; Ezek. 36:27); 
the heavenly gift also proceedeth from the Father, 
and abides with us as a witness to "the blessing of 
Abraham in Christ Jesus, that we might receive 
the promise of the Spirit through faith/' (Gal. 
3- 14.) 

13. How is this gift of the Spirit spoken of in 1 John 

2: 20, 27? 

"Ye have an anointing from the Holy One, and 
ye know all things. . . . The anointing which 
ye received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not 
that any one teach you; but as His anointing teach- 
eth you concerning all things and is true, and is no 
lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in Him.'' 

14. What significance have the anointing and the 

teaching in this iast-cited passage? 

The statement means that the Spirit is given as 
a special impartation of life and power from above, 
consecrating the soul of the recipient to all holy 
activities, and, as Jesus taught, guiding into all the 
truth. 



48 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



15. What did Jesus say of the Spirit as a revealer of 

the truth? 

"He shall guide you into all the truth ; He shall 
declare unto you the things that are to come. He 
shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and 
shall declare it unto you." (John i6: 13-15.) 

16. Is the ministry of the Holy Spirit as efficient now 

as in the times of the apostles? 

The Spirit is now as ever the supreme and im- 
mediate guide of every true disciple of Jesus. Like 
Jesus Christ Himself He abides yesterday, to-day, 
and forever the same, and without His living pres- 
ence and power we can neither know nor do the 
truth. 

17. How did Jesus comfort His disciples in view of 

the persecutions that were sure to come? 

He said: ''When they deHver you up, be not 
anxious how or what ye shall speak; for it shall be 
given you in that hour what ye shall speak. For it 
is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father 
that speaketh in you." (Matt. 10: 19, 20.) 

18. Why was it necessary that the apostles should 

not depart from Jerusalem until clothed with 
the power from on high? 

For the reason that without this sure witness of 
the Spirit they would not be able to preach ef- 
fectively the new gospel of the kingdom for a tes- 
timony among the nations. It was necessary that 
they first be made "partakers of the Holy Spirit, and 
taste the good word of God, and the powers of the 



Mission and Ministry of the Spirit. 49 



age to come." (Heb. 6:4, 5.) Thus only could they 
preach what they knew by personal experience of 
the same. 

19. What are the relations of the Father, the Son, 

and the Spirit? 

In the mystic and mysterious interrelations of 
Father, Son, and Spirit, we recognize an adorable 
Unity. The Son is the only begotten of the Father 
(John 1:14, 18; 3: 16); the Spirit proceeds from 
the Father (John 15 : 27) ; the Son and the Spirit are 
sent by the Father (John 3:34; 14:26), and the 
Spirit is sent both by the Father and the Son (John 
14:26; 15:26.) 

20. What impressive formulas of worship in the New 

Testament magnify these relations? 

The command to baptize "into the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" 
(Matt. 28 : 19), and the benediction in 2 Cor. 13 : 14, 
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love 
of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be 
with you all." 

21. What similar invocation is found in the Revela- 

tion of John (1: 4, 5)? 

"Grace and peace from (ij Him who is ana who 
was and who is to come; and (2) from the seven 
Spirits which are before the throne ; and (3) from 
Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the firstborn of 
the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth." 
Here we observe a threefold or trinitarian form of 
benediction. 

4 



so Primer of Christian Doctrine. 

22. What other New Testament texts conform to 

these trinitarian suggestions? 

(i.) In I Cor. 12:4, 5, we read of "the same 
Spirit, the same Lord, and the same God." 

(2.) In I Peter i : 2, we read of "the foreknowl- 
edge of God the Father, sanctification of the Spirit, 
and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." 

23. How is Christ's relation to the Father made con- 

spicuous at the beginning of all the Epistles of 
Paul? 

By associating the name of our Lord Jesus 
Christ along with that of the Father as the adorable 
source of all saving grace, mercy, and peace. 



The Kingdom and the Coming of Christ. 

1. With what announcement did both John and Jesus 

begin their public ministry? 

"The kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matt. 
3:2; 4:17.) 

2. What was the preaching of the first apostles? 

"The kingdom of heaven is at hand/' (Matt. 
10: 7; Luke 10: 9, II.) 

3. What must the Jewish people at that time have 

understood by such a proclamation? 

That the reign of the Messiah, the Christ, of 
whom the prophets had spoken, was about to be- 
gin. 

4. Cite some of the Old Testament Scriptures which 

were believed to refer to the Messiah, and 
which begat great expectation and longing for 
His coming. 

(i.) The promise to David that God would es- 
tablish the throne of His kingdom forever. (2 Sam. 
7: 12-16.) 

(2.) "Jehovah said unto Me, Thou art My Son; 
this day have I begotten Thee. Ask of Me and I 
will give Thee the nations for Thine inheritance, 
and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy pos- 
session." (Psa. 2:7, 8.) 

(3.) "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is 
51 



52 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



given ; and the government shall be upon His shoul- 
der ; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Coun- 
selor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of 
Peace. Of the increase of His government and of 
peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of 
David, and upon his kingdom to establish it, and to 
uphold it with justice and with righteousness from 
henceforth and forever/' (Isa. 9:6, 7.) 

(4.) "In the latter days it shall come to pass 
that the mountain of Jehovah's house shall be es- 
tablished on the top of the mountains, and it shall 
be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow 
unto it. And many nations shall go and say, Come 
ye, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, and 
to the house of the God of Jacob ; and He will teach 
us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths. For 
out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of 
Jehovah from Jerusalem; and He will judge be- 
tween many peoples, and will decide concerning 
strong nations afar of¥; a-nd they shall beat their 
swords into plowshares, and their spears into prun- 
ing-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against 
nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But 
they shall sit every man under his vine and under 
his fig-tree; and none shall make them afraid." 
(Micah 4: 1-4.) 

(5.) "Behold, the man whose name is the 
Branch ; and He shall grow up out of His place, and 
He shall build the temple of Jehovah; and he shall 
bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon His 
throne; and He shall be a Priest upon His throne; 
and the counsel of peace shall be upon them both." 
(Zech. 6: 12, 13.) 



Kingdom and Coming of Christ. S3 



(6.) "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, 
there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto 
a Son of man, and He came to the Ancient of days, 
and they brought Him near before Him. And there 
was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, 
that all the peoples, nations, and languages should 
serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, 
which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that 
which shall not be destroyed/' (Dan. 7: 13, 14.) 

5. What did Jesus teach concerning the nature of the 
kingdom? 

(i.) By calling it *'the kingdom of heaven" He 
clearly indicated its heavenly origin and its spir- 
itual character. 

(2.) He also said, "My kingdom is not of this 
world." (John 18:36.) 

(3.) In teaching to pray, "Thy kingdom come, 
Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth," He in- 
dicated that the doing of God's will on earth as in 
heaven is to bring the kingdom of God into this 
world. 

(4.) Concerning one's entrance into the king- 
dom. He said to Nicodemus, "Except a man be born 
again, he can not enter into the kingdom of God." 

(5.) When His disciples asked, "Who is greatest 
in the kingdom of heaven?" he set a little child in 
the midst of them, and said, "Except ye turn and 
become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter 
into the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 18: 3.) 

(6.) Of rulership and authority in His kingdom, 
the Lord said also to the disciples: "Whosoever 
would become great among you shall be your min- 



54 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



ister, and whosoever would be first among you, shall 
be bondservant of all/' (Mark 10:43, 44-) 

(7.) Touching inordinate love of money and the 
world, He said, ''Children, how hard is it for them 
that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of 
God!'' (Mark 10:24.) 

(8.) This kingdom is for the propagation of 
Truth; for Jesus said to Pilate, "I am a King; to 
this end have I been born, and to this end am I come 
into the world, that I should bear witness unto the 
truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth My 
voice." (John 18 : 37.) 

(9.) The kingdom of heaven is the special boon 
of such as are "poor in spirit" (Matt. S'-S-)* "per- 
secuted for righteousness' sake" (5: 10), and whose 
righteousness shall "exceed that of the scribes and 
Pharisees (5 :2o); it is for such also as do and 
teach the commandments of God. (5 : 19.) 

(10.) John the Baptist, though greater than all 
the prophets that went before him, was less than 
"he that is little in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 
II : II.) 

6. What is the significance of this statement of Jesus 
about John? 

It emphasizes the fact that with all his superi- 
ority as a prophet John did not become fully ac- 
quainted with the gospel of the kingdom of Christ, 
so as to know "the mysteries of the kingdom of 
heaven." (Matt. 13: 11.) 

7 What are the mysteries of the l<ingdom of heaven? 

The sacred truths, facts, and experiences of spir- 
itual life in God which are known only to them who 



Kingdom and Coming of Christ. 55 

by a living faith accept the salvation of the Lord 
Jesus after His complete manifestation in the flesh 
and His glorification at the right hand of God. 

8. What does Paul write about these heavenly 

secrets? 

"Things which eyes saw not, and ear heard not, 
and which entered not into the heart of man, what- 
soever things God prepared for them that love Him, 
God hath revealed unto us through the Spirit." (i 
Cor. 2 : 9, lo.) 

9. What are the great laws of the kingdom of God? 

The commandments of God, several examples of 
which Jesus briefly mentions in Matt. 19: 18, 19; 
Luke 18: 20; but which appear in the Old Testament 
as a Decalogue (see Ex. 20: 3-17, and Deut. 
5:7-21); and they are in substance as follows: 

First Table, 

1 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 

2 Thou shalt not make for thyself any graven 
image. 

2 Thou shalt not take the name of God in vain. 
4 Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy. 
^ Honor thy father and thy mother. 

Second Table. 

^ Thou shalt not commit murder. 

Thou shalt not commit adultery, 
s Thou shalt not steal. 
^ Thou shalt not bear false witness. 
i<> Thou shalt not covet anything that is thy 
neighbor's. 



56 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



10. Which of all the commandments did Jesus pro- 

nounce first and greatest? 

"The first is. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God 
is one, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 
mind, and with all thy strength. The second is this : 
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is 
none other commandment greater than these. On 
these two commandments the whole law hangeth, 
and the prophets." (Mark 12:29-31; Matt. 22: 
37-490 

11. How did Jesus express the Golden Rule? 

*'A11 things whatsoever ye would that men should 
do unto you, even so also do ye unto them; for this 
is the law and the prophets.'' (Matt. 7: 12.) 

12. How does Paul speak of this great command- 

ment? 

He says that "the whole law is fulfilled in one 
word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor 
as thyself." (Gal. 5: 14.) 

13. In what manner does the teaching of Jesus ful- 

fill and exalt the great moral precepts of the 
Decalogue? 

(i.) It makes emphatic the fundamental truth 
that love of God and love of man are essential to the 
highest moral excellence. 

(2.) It transfigures and fulfills the letter of the 
Ten Commandments by showing that murder, adul- 
tery, theft, and all other immorality are committed 
when any one admits the desire or the purpose in 
his heart. (Cf. Matt. 5:22, 28.) 



Kingdom and Coming of Christ. 57 

(3.) It admonished the young man who pos- 
sessed many goods that a perfect love of God and 
of man would lead him to impart to the poor with 
great liberality and affection. (Matt. 19 :2i; Mark 
10 : 21 ; Luke 18 : 22.) 

(4.) It gives a new and deeper significance 
to every ethical precept of the law and the prophets 
by the enunciation of a positive principle rather 
than a negative prohibition. 

14. What further does Paul teach concerning the con- 

trast between the law and the gospel? 

(i.) He says that we are not under law, but 
under grace, and ''the Spirit of life in Christ makes 
us free from the law of sin and of death." (Rom. 
6: 14; 8:2-4.) 

(2.) Before the manifestation of Christ we were 
like children kept in ward; but after we attain jus- 
tification by faith in Jesus Christ we are no longer 
under the tutorship of the Mosaic law, but sons of 
God, and freemen in Christ. (Gal. 3 : 23-26.) 

(3.) By means of an allegory of the two cove- 
nants, he points out that we are children of the new 
Jerusalem rather than of Mount Sinai, and the dis- 
tinguishing feature of the new relationship is free- 
dom from the bondage of the law. 

15. How did Paul regard those Jewish Christians who 

insisted on keeping the statutes of the Mosaic 
law? 

He speaks of them as severed from Christ, and 
fallen away from grace (Gal. 5:4); as seeking per- 
fection in the flesh rather than in the Spirit (3:3) ; 
observing days, and months, and seasons, and years 



58 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



(4:10), as if such outward formalities of Jewish 
custom were essentials of religion. 

16. What is the teaching of Heb. 7: 16-22, concern- 

ing Jesus as the surety of a better covenant? 

We are given to understand that in Jesus Christ 
the entire Old Testament system, like the Levitical 
priesthood, is changed from the letter of a carnal 
commandment into the power of an indissoluble life. 

17. How did Jesus Illustrate the incompatibility of 

bondage to the law and the freedom of the 
gospel? 

By pointing out the impropriety of wedding 
guests fasting while the bridegroom is with them, 
of putting new undressed cloth upon an old garment, 
and of putting new wine into old wineskins. (Matt. 

9:i5-i70 

18. How do the parables of Jesus illustrate the na- 

ture and the mysteries of the kingdom of 
heaven? 

(i.) The parable of the sower (Matt. 13:3-9) 
shows how the word of the kingdom — that is, the 
truth of God and of Christ — may be received by dif- 
ferent classes of hearers, and what various results 
follow, according to the kind of soil (i. e., disposi- 
tions, receptivity) in the human heart upon which 
the good seed of the gospel falls. 

(2.) The parable of the tares (Matt. 13:24-30) 
shows how the "sons of the kingdom and the sons of 
the evil one" are permitted to grow together until 
the consummation of their time, when there shall be 



Kingdom and Coming of Christ. 59 

a separation, and "the righteous shall shine forth 
as the sun in the kingdom of their Father/' 

(3.) The parable of the mustard-seed (Matt. 
I3-3I> 32) shows how the kingdom increases vis- 
ibly from small beginnings unto great strength and 
attractiveness. 

(4.) The parable of the leaven (Matt. 13:33) 
shows how the kingdom of God has a corresponding 
invisible increase and inworking in the individual, 
and in the whole mass of humanity. 

(5.) The parables of the treasure hidden in the 
field, and of the merchant seeking goodly pearls 
(Matt 13:44-46), show how different persons come 
by different ways into possession of the spiritual 
treasures of the kingdom. 

(6.) The parable of the net (Matt. 13:47-50) 
shows how the operations of the kingdom in this 
world naturally gather in both good and bad, and 
that there must be a final separation. 

(7.) The parable of the seed growing secretly 
(Mark 4:26-29), shows that all the mysteries and 
unseen growths of the kingdom, and its times and 
seasons, are arranged in accord with an order of the 
world which God has ordained, but which it is not 
always ours to know. 

(8.) The parable of the laborers (Matt 20: 1-16) 
shows how many may be distinguished as first or as 
last — that is, as superior or as inferior, in the king- 
dom of God, by the spirit they display in their work, 
and in their expectations of reward. Not those 
who ask, "What shall I get?" but rather those who 



60 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



ask, "What shall I do?" are reckoned first in the 
kingdom. 

(9.) The parable of the unmerciful servant 
(Matt. 18:21-35) shows what spirit of forgiveness 
from the heart toward an offending brother is re- 
quired in the kingdom of heaven. 

(10.) The parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 
10: 29-37) answers the question, "Who is my neigh- 
bor and shows us how we ought to love and treat 
him in his time of need. 

(11.) The parable of the two sons (Matt. 21 : 28- 
32), was an admonition to the Jewish priests and 
elders that publicans and harlots might enter the 
kingdom of God before them. 

(12.) The parables of the wicked husbandmen, 
and of the marriage of the king's son (Matt. 21 : 33- 
44; 22:1-14) were a like warning to the Jewish 
people that "the kingdom of God should be taken 
away from them and be given to a nation bringing 
forth the fruits thereof." 

(13.) The parable of the ten virgins (Matt. 
25 : 1-13) illustrates the necessity of constant watch- 
fulness and readiness for the coming of the Lord. 

(14.) The parable of the talents (25: 14-30) ad- 
monishes us that we are to do more than merely 
watch and be ready; we must be diligently working 
in our Lord's interests while He is away. 

(15.) The parable of the judgment (25:31-46) 
shows what eternal issues depend upon the works we 
do or fail to do in behalf of our needy brethren, 
whom we should recognize as brethren of Christ 



Kingdom and Coming of Christ. 61 

19. How do these doctrines of the kingdom of heaven 

have vital connection with all the social and 
political relations of mankind? 

They proclaim the principles, at once simple and 
profound, which when fully observed can not fail 
to produce universal peace and good will among 
men. Human judgments may vary, and in differ- 
ent times and places men err from the truth in 
seeking its practical application; but the love of 
God and of man, shed abroad in the heart by the 
Holy Spirit, must sooner or later yield to every 
demand of righteousness, substitute peaceful arbi- 
tration for murderous warfare, and seek by every 
possible method of practical utility and good feel- 
ing to secure to all the nations and to every indi- 
vidual the rights that are common to man. The 
coming of the kingdom of heaven will be coincident 
and coextensive with the doing of God's will on 
earth as it is done in heaven. 

20. What practical application of these principles of 

love and righteousness does Paul make to our 
domestic and social relations? 

He admonishes husbands and wives to love one 
another in purest affection and fidelity, parents and 
children to know and honor their hallowed relation- 
ship, masters and servants to care for each other's 
rightful claims; and he calls upon all men to live 
in peace, to abhor what is evil and cleave to what 
is good, to bear one another's burdens and so fulfill 
the law of Christ. 



62 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



21 When we pray, Thy kingdom come, are we to 
look for the personal coming of Christ as well 
as the coming of His kingdom? 

Most assuredly; for nothing in the Gospel rec- 
ords is more certain than the repeated assertions 
of Jesus Himself that He would come not only in 
His kingdom, but also to receive His disciples unto 
Himself that they all might be with Him and be- 
hold Him in His heavenly glory. 

22. What did Jesus say about the certainty and the 

nearness of His coming? 

He declared repeatedly and most emphatically 
that He would come again in the near future and 
before all the people of His own generation should 
die; and He foretold that the end or crisis of that 
age would be marked by the overthrow of the great 
city and temple of Judaism, that is, Jerusalem. 

23. What is the recorded language of Jesus touching 

the time of His coming? 

(i.) The Son of man shall come in the glory of 
His Father with His angels ; and then shall He ren- 
der unto every man according to his deeds. Verily 
I say unto you, there are some of them that stand 
here who shall in no wise taste of death till they 
see the Son of man coming in His kingdom." (Matt. 
16:27, 28.) 

(2.) ''Verily I say unto you, there are some of 
them here that stand by, who shall in no wise taste 
of death till they see the kingdom of God come with 
power." (Mark 9:1.) 

(3.) "I tell you of a truth, there are some of 



Kingdom and Coming of Christ. 



63 



them that stand here, who shall in no wise taste of 
death, till they see the kingdom of God." (Luke 
9:27.) 

(4.) "Ye shall not have gone through the cities 
of Israel till the Son of man be come." (Matt. 10: 

23. ) ^ 

(5.) "Verily I say unto you, this generation 
shall not pass away till all these things be accom- 
plished." (Matt. 24 :34; Mark 13 130; Luke 21 : 
32.) 

(6.) "Henceforth ye shall see the Son of man 
sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on 
the clouds of heaven." (Matt. 26:64; Mark 14: 
62; Luke 22: 69.) 

24. What did Jesus say about the particular day and 

hour of His coming? 

(i.) "Of that day and hour knoweth no one, 
not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but 
the Father only." (Matt. 24: 36; Mark 13: 32.) 

(2.) "It is not for you to know the times or 
seasons which the Father hath set within His own 
authority." (Acts 1:7.) 

(3.) "Watch therefore, for ye know not what 
day your Lord cometh. ... In an hour that ye 
think not the Son of man cometh." (Matt. 24:42- 
44.) 

25. What did Paul write about the need of constant 

readiness? 

"Concerning the times and seasons, brethren, ye 
have no need that aught be written unto you. For 
yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord 
60 cometh as a thief in the night." (i Thess. 5 : i, 2.) 



64 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



26. What practical significance have these admoni- 

tions for us now? 

They should ever serve, by personal self-appli- 
cation, to impress upon us the serious truth, which 
no man can deny; namely, that on any day and at 
any moment we may be summoned away from the 
earth to meet the realities of the unseen and eternal 
world. 

27. What did Jesus say about the manner of His 

coming? 

'(i.) In the Scriptures just cited and in their 
immediate context He spoke also of "coming on the 
clouds of heaven, in His own glory, and in the glory 
of His Father with the holy angels." 

(2,) According to Matt. 24: 29-31, He also said: 

''Immediately after the tribulation of those days, 

The sun shall be darkened and the moon shall 
not give her light. 

And the stars shall fall from heaven, 

And the powers of the heavens shall be shaken; 

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of 
man in heaven; 

And then shall all the tribes of the land mourn; 

And they shall see the Son of man coming on 
the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 

And He shall send forth His angels with a great 
sound of a trumpet. 

And they shall gather His elect from the four 
winds. 

From one end of heaven to the other." 

'(3.) The parallel passage in Mark 13:24 reads. 



Kingdom and Coming of Christ. 65 



"in those days, after that tribulation," instead of 
"immediately after the tribulation of those days." 

28. What great tribulation did Jesus here refer to? 

The unparalleled suffering coincident with the 
destruction of the temple and the siege of Jerusa- 
lem, as the preceding context shows. 

29. Did these predictions of the overthrow of Jerusa- 

lem and the temple actually come to pass in 
that generation? 

Such is the unquestionable testimony of all his- 
torical records relating to that time and country. 
Flavius Josephus, himself a Jew and a personal wit- 
ness of the awful siege, has left us an appalling ac- 
count of the miseries of those who perished in that 
war. 

30. Was it customary for the prophets to describe 

such terrible catastrophes as judgments of 
God, and to employ highly poetical language in 
their oracles? 

It is certain that the spirit, style, and language 
of the Old Testament prophets, when referring to 
similar great civil and national calamities, was of 
the same cast and character, as the four following 
examples show: 

(i.) Isa. 13:9, 10, thus speaks of the fall of 
Babylon : 

^'Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh. 
Cruel with wrath and fierce anger. 
To make the land a desolation. 
And to destroy its sinners out of it. 
For the stars of heaven shall not give their light, 
5 



66 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



And the sun shall be darkened in its going forth. 

And the moon shall not cause its light to shine." 

(2.) Isa. 19:1, 2, thus speaks of a judgment 
of God on Egypt : 

''Behold Jehovah rideth upon a swift cloud. 

And He cometh into Egypt, 

And the idols of Egypt shall tremble at His 
presence, 

And the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst 
of it" 

(3.) Isa. 34:4, 5, thus speaks of the judgment 

upon Edom: 

"And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved. 
And the heavens shall be rolled together as a 

scroll. 

And all their hosts shall fall. 

As the leaf falls from off the fig-tree. 

For my sword hath drunk its fill in heaven, 

Behold, it shall come down upon Edom, 

And upon the people of my curse, to judgment." 

(7.) Dan. 7: 13, 14, thus speaks of the coming 

of the kingdom of the heavens: 

"I was gazing in the visions of the night. 

And behold, there came with the clouds of 

heaven. 

One like unto a son of man; 

And He came even to the Ancient of days. 

And they brought Him near before Him. 

And there was given Him dominion, and glory, 

and a kingdom, 

That all the peoples, nations, and languages 

should serve Him : 

His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which 

shall not pass away. 



Kingdom and Coming of Christ. 67 



And His kingdom that which shall not be de- 
stroyed." 

31. What Is meant by "the consummation of the age," 

and "the end," in IVlatt. 24: 3, 14; Mark 13: 7; 
Luke 21: 9? 

The completion of the age or period of time 
which preceded the times of the Messiah. The 
Jewish people of that day called their own time 
"this age," and the time which should follow the 
coming of the Messiah ''the age to come." 

32. Why was it necessary before the end of that age 

that "the gospel of the kingdom be first 
preached in the whole world for a testimony 
unto all the nations?" (Matt. 24: 14.) 

Because the Gospel of the kingdom must needs 
be first immovably established in the world and 
among different peoples before ''the first covenant, 
its ordinances of divine service, and its sanctuary" 
(Heb. 9:1) be abolished. The Father would not 
take away the old system until he had fully pre- 
pared the way for the ministry and the mediation 
of a new and "better covenant, which had been en- 
acted upon better promises." (Heb. 8:6.) In the 
end, "He taketh away the first that He may estab- 
lish the second." (Heb. 10:9.) 

33. Was the gospel thus actually preached "in all the 

world" before the overthrow of the Jewish 
sanctuary and its service? 

Such is the clear testimony of the New Testa- 
ment, as the following Scriptures show: 

(i.) Paul speaks of "the word of the truth of 



68 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



the Gospel, which is come unto you, even as it is 
also in all the world bearing fruit and increasing, 
as it doth in you also, since the day ye heard and 
knew the grace of God in truth." (Col. 1:5, 6.) 

(2.) Again he says: "Be not moved away from 
the hope of the Gospel which ye heard, which was 
preached in all creation under heaven, whereof I, 
Paul, was made a minister." (Col. i : 23.) 

(3.) The accusation against Paul before the 
Roman governor alleged that he was "a pestilent 
fellow, and a mover of insurrections among all the 
Jews throughout the world/' (Acts 24:5.) 

(4.) Also in Thessalonica the charge of the Jews 
against Paul and Silas was, "These that have turned 
the world upside down are come hither also." (Acts 

17:6.) 

(5.) According to Acts 11:28, there was "a 
great famine over all the world in the days of 
Claudius," and according to Luke 2 : i, "there went 
out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world 
should be enrolled." These statements clearly show 
in what sense we are to understand the words "all 
the world" in the New Testament writings. 

34. What did Paul and his associates find the chief 
obstacle in the way of proclaiming a free gos- 
pel among the nations? 

The bondage of the Jews and the Jewish Chris- 
tians to the letter of their law ; for — 

(i.) They taught and insisted that "except ye 
be circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye can 
not be saved." "It is needful to circumcise [the 
Gentiles], and to charge them to keep the law of 
Moses." (Acts 15: i. 5.) 



Kingdom and Coming of Christ. 69 



(2.) According to Paul they were "in bondage 
to weak and beggarly rudiments: ye observe days, 
and months, and seasons, and years." (Gal. 4:9, 
10.) **Behold, I, Paul, say unto you, that, if ye re- 
ceive circumcision, Christ will profit you nothing. 
. • . Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would 
be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from 
grace." (Gal. 5:2-4.) 

(3.) Their test in judging one's religious life 
was *'in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a feast 
day, or a new moon, or a Sabbath day." (Col. 2 : 16.) 

(4.) Hence Paul's contention with these Juda- 
izers was that by insisting on the bond of Mosaic 
ordinances, they "perverted the Gospel of Christ" 
(Gal. 1:7); "for the kingdom of God is not eating 
and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy 
in the Holy Spirit." (Rom. 14: 17.) 

35. What teaching of Jesus showed the incompati- 

bility of Old Testament ordinances and New 
Testament spiritual life? 

'(i.) His saying that fasting is inconsistent with 
the conscious presence of the bridegroom. 

(2.) His showing the unfitness of "putting a 
piece of undressed cloth upon an old garment." 

(3.) Also the unfitness of putting new wine in 
old wineskins. (Matt. 9: 14-17.) 

36. Do not our Lord's words concerning fasting, in 

IVIatt. 6: 16, 17, imply that this Old Testament 
practice should be continued under the gospel? 

'(i.) No more so than do His words in Matt. 5: 
23, 24, imply that Old Testament altars and offer- 
ings should be continued in the Gospel age to come. 



70 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



(2.) But fasting may be practiced as a personal 
and private means of grace, if one feel so disposed. 
Our Lord's words teach that, when it is practiced, 
it should be a personal voluntary abstinence, done 
in secret; not an obligation of law, of rule, or of 
public observance. 

(3.) Fasting, like circumcision, festivals, vows, 
and other Old Testament customs, was practiced 
among the Jewish Christians of the Apostolic times. 
But none of these ancient usages are obligatory un- 
der the Gospel, being in themselves only shadows of 
better things to come, and observance of them as a 
bounden duty only savors of the bondage of the let- 
ter. (Cf. Col. 2: 16.) 

37. Why does the New Testament so generally as- 

sume or imply that the kingdom of Christ was 
a reality of the future rather than of the 
present? 

Because all the ministry of Jesus, His death, 
resurrection, and ascension, the outpouring of the 
Spirit, and the preaching of the apostles fell in 
"the last days" of the old covenant, which was then 
"waxing aged, and was nigh unto vanishing away.'* 
(Heb. 8: 13.) So long as Judaism with its temple 
stood, the kingdom of Christ with its new and bet- 
ter covenant was delayed in its coming. 

38. What special significance had the fall of the 

Jewish sanctuary as the distinctive crisis and 
end of the age? 

It was a signal confirmation of the saying that 
"the way into the holy place hath not yet been made 
manifest, while the first tabernacle is yet standing.'' 



Kingdom and Coming of Christ. 71 



(Heb. 9:8.) And so, in the symbolism of John's 
Apocalypse, "the temple of God that is in heaven," 
and its ark of the new covenant, are opened, and 
"the kingdom of the world becomes our Lord's and 
His Christ's" only after the fall of the wicked city 
"where the Lord was crucified." (Rev. 11:8, 15, 19.) 

39. But did not the saints of the apostolic age, 
previous to the fall of the temple, "have bold- 
ness to enter into the holy place?" 

Certainly, as Heb. 10:19, implies, for all the 
"saints in Christ," from the time of the first Pente- 
cost, "were enlightened and tasted of the heavenly 
gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 
and tasted of the good word of God, and the powers 
of the age to come." (Heb. 6:4, 5.) This was neces- 
sary in order that "the Gospel of the kingdom might 
be preached in the whole world for a testimony 
unto all the nations" (Matt. 24: 14) before the end 
of that age of the old dispensation. So before the 
end of that age the spiritual forces of the age to 
come were made manifest. 

40- What significance attaches to our Lord's saying 
to the Pharisees that "the kingdom of God 
Cometh not with observation," and "the king- 
dom of God is in the midst of you?" (Cf. Luke 
17: 21.) 

He thus admonished them that His kingdom was 
not of this world, and its coming is not to be a 
spectacle for fleshly eyes. He informed them that 
the kingdom might be in the midst of them, and 
they at the same time be ignorant of its real nature, 
its spirit, and its power. In like manner the king- 



72 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



dom of Christ has been coming during all the Chris- 
tian centuries, growing and expanding like the mus- 
tard seed, and the working of the leaven in the 
meal; it is coming now, and will continue to come 
until the entire world is subjected to the Lord 
Jesus, for "He must reign till He hath put all His 
enemies under His feet." (i Cor. 15:25.) 

41. By what allegory does Paul contrast the two 

covenants in Gal. 4: 21-31? 

He makes Hagar, the handmaid, represent Mount 
Sinai and answer "to the Jerusalem that now is; 
for she is in bondage with her children. But the 
free woman represents the Jerusalem that is above, 
which is our mother.'' 

42. May we understand this "Jerusalem which Is 

above" as identical in significance with "the 
holy city" which John saw, "the new Jerusa- 
lem, coming down out of heaven from God?" 
Rev. 21 : 2.) 

Undoubtedly; for the vision of that holy city is 
but a symbol of the kingdom of God taking pos- 
session of this world in God's own times, and mak- 
ing all things new. 

43. How does that apocalyptic vision answer to the 

prayer taught us by our Lord? 

It furnishes a fitting and glorious ideal to the 
petition, "Thy kingdom come : Thy will be done, as 
in heaven, so on earth." To which we may also 
add, ''Amen: come, Lord Jesus;" for the coming 
and universal triumph of the kingdom of God and 
of Christ will be the joy and peace of heaven on 
earth. 



The Resurrection and the Judgment 
TO Come. 

1. What further did Jesus say about His coming 

again? 

"In My Father's house are many mansions; T 
go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and 
prepare a place for you, I come again, and will re- 
ceive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye 
may be also." (John 14: 3.) 

2. What is said in Acts 1: 10, 11, about His going into 

heaven and coming from heaven? 

"And while they were looking steadfastly into 
heaven as He went, behold two men stood by them 
in white apparel; who also said. Ye men of Galilee, 
why stand ye looking into heaven? This Jesus, 
who was received up from you into heaven, shall 
so come even as ye beheld Him going into heaven." 

3. How did Paul write concerning this to the Thes- 

salonians? 

"The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven, 
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and 
with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall 
rise first. Then we that are alive, that are left, shall 
together with them be caught up in the clouds to 
meet the Lord in the air: and so we shall ever be 
with the Lord.'' (i Thess. 4: 16-17.) 

73 



74 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



4. Should Scriptures of this character and style be 

understood literally? 

They should not; for our ideas of the invisible 
world of spirits can be at best only imperfectly con- 
veyed by human speech. Some things of the heav- 
enly life, according to Paul, are unspeakable in 
words, and some are not lawful for a man to utter. 
(2 Cor. 12:4.) Prophets, seers, and apostles usu- 
ally speak of heavenly realities by means of sym- 
bols and figures of thought. The words of the 
apostle are adapted to give an impressive picture 
of the heavenly life, the reunion of saints, and their 
eternal felicity in fellowship with the glorified Lord. 

5. What is Paul's great argument for the resurrec- 

tion in 1 Cor. 15? 

(i.) He first of all affirms the fact of the resur- 
rection of Christ, and of His appearance to many 
at different times, and also of His appearance "to 
above five hundred brethren at once, of whom the 
greater part remain until now." (Verses i-ii.) 

(2.) He affirms next the fatal consequences of 
denying the resurrection of the dead, and argues 
that "if Christ hath not been raised, your faith is 
vain, and they that are fallen asleep in Christ have 
perished.'' (12-19.) 

(3.) He then declares that the resurrection is 
part of the divine order of the kingdom of Christ. 
"As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be 
made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the 
firstfruits, then those that are Christ's at His com- 
ing, then the end, when He shall deliver up the king- 
dom to the Father. For he must reign till He hath 



Resurrection and Judgment to Come. 75 

put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy 
that shall be abolished is death." (20-28.) 

(4.) Then he shows how this faith in resurrec- 
tion strengthens our hope, sustains us in our trials, 
and inspires one to a holy life. (29-34.) 

(5.) Then to the question, "How are the dead 
raised, and with what manner of body do they 
come?" he replies (verses 35-49) : 

1 In the life of seeds, the bare grain of wheat 
that is sown is not the body that shall be, but God 
gives to each new seed a body of its own. (36-38.) 

2 Observe also the varieties of flesh, as of men, 
beasts, birds, and fishes. (39.) 

3 There are also celestial bodies and bodies ter- 
restrial. (40.) 

4 Observe, also, how sun, moon, and stars differ 
ing glory. (41.) 

^ So in the resurrection, the body that is sown in 
corruption, in dishonor, and in weakness, in its 
fleshly state, is raised in incorruption, and in glory, 
and in power. (42, 43.) 

^ If there is a psychical body, there is also a 
spiritual body. (44.) 

As related to the first Adam, we bear the 
image of the earthly; in the last Adam, who is a 
life-giving spirit, we shall bear the image of the 
heavenly. (45-49-) 

(6.) The conclusion is that flesh and blood can 
not inherit the kingdom of God, and this mortal and 
corruptible must put on incorruption. Then shall 
death be swallowed up in victory. (50-57.) 



76 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



6. What one essential truth receives elaborate con- 

firmation in this chapter? 

The resurrection of the dead, and the realities 
of the immortal life to come, are necessarily things 
which belong to the unseen and eternal nature of 
spirit. It is not, and in the nature of things can 
not be now made manifest just what and how we 
shall be in the resurrection, but divine assurance 
is given of immortality, glory, and spiritual power, 
blessed beyond our present ability to conceive. 

7. What does this apostle further write on this sub- 

ject in 2 Cor. 4: 16; 5, 10? 

"Though our outward man is decaying, yet our 
inward man is renewed day by day. For our light 
affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us 
more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of 
glory; while we look not at the things which are 
seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the 
things which are seen are temporal; but the things 
which are not seen are eternal. For we know that 
if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved, 
we have a building from God, a house not made 
with hands eternal in the heavens. . . . We are 
willing rather to be absent from the body, and to 
be at home with the Lord." 

8. How did he write to the Philippians about his de- 

parture to be with Christ? 

"Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether 
by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, 
and to die is gain. ... I am in a strait be- 



Resurrection and Judgment to Come. 77 

twixt the two, having the desire to depart and to 
be with Christ; for it is very far better." (Phil, i: 
20-23.) 

9. What is his testimony in 2 Tim. 4: 6-8? 

"I am already being offered, and the time of my 
departure is come. I have fought the good fight, I 
have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 
henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of 
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, 
shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but 
also to all them that have loved His appearing." 

10. What do the words "that day" and "His appear- 

ing" in this Scripture imply concerning Paul's 
conception of the time of the Lord's appear- 
ing? 

They most naturally imply that the day o£ 
Christ's appearing and awarding the crown of right- 
eousness was, with this apostle, the same as the 
time of His departure, when He completed His 
good fight and finished His course. 

11. What great central truths are emphasized in all 

these later statements of the apostle? 

(i.) Paul's going away to be with Christ, and 
his obtaining his heavenly tabernacle, or clothing, 
followed immediately after his departure from the 
world. He did not expect to be found as a naked, 
disembodied spirit; he gives no intimation of an 
intermediate state of long repose and waiting be- 
tween death and the resurrection; he expected to be 



78 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



at once clothed upon with his heavenly body and 
have that which is mortal swallowed up of life. 

(2.) This blessed and glorious hope belongs 
also to all them that love and look for the appear- 
ing of Christ. 

(3.) The last day and the last hour are not 
simultaneous with all the saints. Each one of all 
those who love the Lord's appearing has, and must 
have, his own individual "last day/' and also his 
own personal vision of the Lord in glory. 

12. What did Jesus teach concerning the resurrection 
of tlie dead? 

(i.) He opposed the Sadducees, "who say there 
is no resurrection," and He declared them to be in 
error, "not knowing the Scriptures nor the power 
of God." (Matt. 22:29 32.) 

(2.) He taught that "in the resurrection they 
neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are 
as angels in heaven." 

(3.) His words, according to Luke 21:36, are: 
"Neither can they die any more; for they are equal 
unto the angels; and they are sons of God, being 
sons of the resurrection." 

(4.) He also showed from what God said to 
Moses at the bush that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 
were alive from the dead. 

(5.) In John's Gospel (5 : 24-29) he makes three 
successive statements touching life and resurrection 
so distinctive as to imply three resurrections, or 
three kinds of resurrection: 



Resurrection and Judgment to Come. 79 

1 "He that heareth My word, and believeth Him 
that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into 
judgment, but hath passed out of death into life." 

2 "The hour cometh, and now is, when the dead 
shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they 
that hear shall live." 

3 "Marvel not at this : for the hour cometh in 
which all that are in the tombs shall hear His voice, 
and shall come forth; they that have done good, 
unto the resurrection of life; and they that have 
done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment." 

(6.) In John 6:40, He declares: "This is the 
will of My Father that every one that beholdeth the 
Son, and believeth on Him, should have eternal life; 
and I will raise him up at the last day." 

(7.) In John II : 25, 26, He says : "I am the resur- 
rection and the life; he that believeth on Me, though 
he die, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and 
believeth on Me shall never die." 

13. What great fundamental truths appear In these 
sayings of Jesus? 

(i.) The resurrection is the antithesis of death, 
and the future blessedness and glory of it depend 
on the Christian believer's loving fellowship with 
God, for thus "he has eternal life abiding in him." 

(2.) Christ's manner of teaching this resurrec- 
tion and the life eternal shows a noteworthy differ- 
ence from the fleshly conceptions on the subject 
current among the Jewish people of His time. 

(3.) The human spirit, having its "life hidden 



80 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



with Christ in God," is as indissoluble and imper- 
ishable as God Himself. 

14. What should be our answer to all questions con- 

cerning the mode of the resurrection, and of 
the heavQnIy life eternal? 

That which is written in the First Epistle of 
John (3:2) : "It is not yet made manifest what we 
shall be. We know that, if He shall be manifested, 
we shall be like Him ; for we shall see Him even as 
He is." 

15. What did Jesus teach concerning the judgment 

to come? 

(i.) He spoke repeatedly of the day of judg- 
ment, when men shall give account of their 
thoughts, words, and deeds. (Matt. 10:15; 11:22; 
12: 36; Mark 6:11.) 

(2.) He declared that the Father had given all 
judgment unto the Son. (John 5:22, 27; Matt. 
28:18.) 

(3.) In Matt. 25:31-46, He has given a para- 
bolic picture of judgment to take place "when the 
Son of man shall come in His glory, and sit on the 
throne of His glory." The issues of that judgment 
are that one class "go away into eternal punish- 
ment, but the righteous into eternal life." 

16. What is PauTs doctrine of the judgment? 

(i.) In Acts 17:31, he says that God "hath ap- 
pointed a day in which He will judge the world in 
righteousness by the man whom He hath ordained; 



Resurrection and Judgment to Come. 81 

whereof He hath given assurance to all men, in that 
He hath raised him from the dead/' 

(2.) In Rom. 2:16, he speaks of "the day 
when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus 
Christ" 

(3.) In 2 Cor. 5:10, he says: "We must 
all be made manifest before the judgment seat of 
Christ; that each one may receive the things done 
in the body, according to what He hath done, 
whether it be good or bad/' 

17. What is written in Heb. 9: 27? 

"It is appointed unto men once to die, and after 
this Cometh judgment." 

18. Are we to suppose that all men are to be made 

alive in Christ (of. 1 Cor. 15: 22) at one and 
the same last hour, and that the Lord's com- 
ing and appearing, the resurrection of the 
dead, and the judgment of eternal destiny, 
must needs be simultaneous events, to occur 
on one day? 

Such a supposition is entirely unnecessary, is 
beset with many difficulties, and is less in accord 
with the Scriptures we have cited than the belief 
that these great facts of time and eternity work 
together in a continuous process, and must needs go 
on, we know not how, until the Christ, who now 
sits upon the throne of His glory, shall have abol- 
ished all rule, and authority, and power, and have 
put all His enemies under His feet. 
6 



82 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



19. What does Paul say of the time when Christ 

shall have put all His enemies under His feet? 

He says that "when all things shall have been 
subjected unto Him, then shall the Son Himself 
also be subjected to Him that did put all things 
under Him, that God may be all in all." (i Cor. 
15:28.) 

20. Does this imply that the Son of God will everj 

become less than He now is or ever has been? 

No more so than that God Himself has been or 
shall become other or less than He is or ever has 
been. 

21. What is the vision of the eternal heavenly glory, 

as written in Rev. 22: 3-5? 

It is there written: "There shall be no curse 
any more. And the throne of God, and of the Lamb 
shall be therein, and His servants shall serve Him; 
and they shall see His face, and His name shall 
be in their foreheads. And there shall be night no 
more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light 
of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light; 
and they shall reign for ever and ever.'' 

22. What corresponding picture of this heavenly 

glory Is written in Rev. 7: 15-17? 

It is there written that those who "come out of 
great tribulation, and wash their robes and make 
them white in the blood of the Lamb, are before the 
throne of God; and they serve Him day and night 



Resurrection and Judgment to Come. 83 

in His temple; and He that sitteth on the throne 
shall spread His tabernacle over them. They shall 
hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither 
shall the sun strike on them, nor any heat; for the 
Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall be 
their shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains 
of waters of life; and God shall wipe away every 
tear from their eyes." 

23. What interpretation are we to put upon such lan- 

guage and statements? 

It is the language of a Biblical apocalypse in 
which figures of speech and suggestive symbols are 
employed to move the imagination and affect the 
devout heart. The main thought which they are 
designed to convey is that of heavenly eternal fel- 
lowship with God. The saints in light shall see as 
they are seen, and know as they are known (cf. i 
Cor. 13: 12), and be forever free from all that can 
harm them. 

24. To wliat prayer of Jesus will this glory be the 

ultimate answer? 

"I pray . . . that they all may be one ; even 
as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that 
they also may be in us. And the glory which Thou 
hast given Me, I have given unto them; that they 
may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and 
Thou in Me, that they may be perfected into one. 
Father, I desire that they be with Me where I am, 
that they may behold My glory which Thou hast 
given Me; for Thou lovedst Me before the foun- 
dation of the world." (John 17:21-24.) 



84 Primer of Christian Doctrine. 



25. How may we construe the Lord's Prayer into a 
comprehensive Confession of the Christian 
Faith, adapted for universal use in the 
Churches? 

By giving to its three sets of petitions, a con- 
fessional form of statement, after the following 
manner : 

THE I^ORD'S CRKKD. 

I BELIEVE EN OUR FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN, WHOSE NAME 
IS HALLOWED, WHO LOVES US, AND GIVES US OUR DAILY BREAD, 
AND ALL GOOD THINGS. 

I BELIEVE IN THE COMING AND KINGDOM OF OUR I^ORD JESUS 

Christ, who gave his life for us, forgives us our debts as 
WE forgive our debtors, and teaches us to love our God 
with all our heart, and our neighbor as ourself. 

I believe in the Holy Spirit, who helps us in our trials, 
delivers us from the evil, leads us into all truth, and 
works in us to do the will of God on earth as it is in heaven. 



INDEX. 



All-Father 

Allegory of Paul 

Apostles, Names of. 
Assurance 



13 
72 

36 



Baptism. 



39 



Christ. See Jesus Christ. 

Church 38, 

Comforter 44? 45> 

Commandments 55, 

Coming of Christ. 62-64, 7i> 

Confession 32, 

Consummation of the Age.. 

Conviction of Sin 

Covenant, Old and New.. 9, 
Creed, The I^ord's 6, 



Decalogue. 



Knd of the Age. 
Ktemal Life 



Faith 

Fasting 69, 

Father in Heaven 13, 

, Goodness of 

. Seen in Jesus 17, 

Fruit of the Spirit 

Fulfilling of lyaw 

Fundamental doctrines 

God, Love of 15, 

, Holiness of 

, Righteousness of 

, Providence of 

Golden Rule 

Gospel defined 

y In all the world. . . 67, 

, Ministry of 

, Sociology of 



39 
46 
56 
73 
34 
67 
33 
58 
84 

55 

67 
35 

34 
70 

14 
15 
41 
37 
10 

7 

16 
15 
15 
15 
56 
7 
68 



Gospels, The Four 7 

, The Synoptic 7, 8 

Graces, Christian 37 

Heathen, Salvation of 42, 43 

Heavenly Glory 82, 83 

Holy Spirit 44 

, Anointing of 47 

, Efficient now 48 

, Fruit of 37 

, Operations of 45 

, Revealing truth 48 

, Witness of 36 

Iren^us 8 

Jerusalem, the New 72 

Jesus Christ— 

, Apostolic views of. . 23-26 

, Ascension 21 

, Baptism 19 

, Coming 62-64 

, Facts of His life 21 

, Glory of 26 

, Kingdom of 51-69 

, Miracles ^^'^3 

, Name 28 

, Parables 58-60 

, Popular opinion 20 

, Priesthood 40, 41 

, Qualities of His teach- 
ing II 

, Resurection of 21 

, Revealing God 17, 27, 41 

, Sayings about Himself 18 

, Virgin birth 21 

, What we should think 

of 27 

, Worship of. 27 

Jewish bondage of letter 68, 69 
John Baptist 54 



85 



86 



Index. 



Josephus 65 

Judgment to come 80, 81 

Justification 36 

Kingdom of Christ 51-70 

— , Nature of 53, 54 

, Mj^steries of 54» 55 

, I^aws of 55, 56 

I^AW and Gospel 10, 57 

lyord's Prayer — 

, Doctrines of 14 

, Creed of 6, 84 

- — , Supper 39 

I^ove, the greatest thing 

16, 33, 37 

Man, Nature of 30 

, Sinfulness of 30, 31 

Marriage relation 30, 61 

Means of Grace 3^, 39 

Messiah, Prophecies of.. 51-53 

Ministry of the Gospel 39 

Miracles of Jesus 21-23 

Monogamy 30 

Mysteries of Kingdom . . 54, 55 

New Birth 35 

Papias 8 

Parables of Jesus 58-60 

Paul on Resurrection 74-78 

Pentecost, Day of 46 

Prayer 39 

Priesthood of Christ 40, 41 

Promise of the Father 47 

Prophecy, Style of 65 

Providence of God 15 



Reconciliation 32 

Regeneration 32, 35 

Remission of Sin 32, 34 

Repentance 33, 34 

Resurrection — 

, Christ's teaching.. 78, 79 

, Paul's teaching.... 74-78 

Revelation progressive 10 

Sacraments 39 

Sadducees 78 

Salvation — 

, Nature of 31, 32 

, Conditions of 41, 43 

, Final failure of. . . . 41, 42 

, Way of 32 

Sanctification 33, 36, 37 

Sinfulness of Man 30, 31 

Sociology of the gospel 61 

Soul, Value of 29 

Spirit. See Holy Spirit. 
Synoptic Gospels 7 

Teaching of Jesus 11 

Ten Commandments 55 

Testament, Significance of 

the word 9 

Testaments, the Old and the 

New.. 9, 10 

Trial, Discipline of 38 

Trinity 49, 50 

Vows 70 

Watchfulness 63, 64 

Witness of the Spirit 36, 45, 47 

Work, Christian 39 

Worship of God, 39 



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